While driving his father to a hospital appointment one morning, Dr David Hamilton had a lightbulb moment, when he realised just how dramatically our interactions with others can shape our mood. His dad was receiving radiotherapy for a brain tumour, David was running late, stressed and tired and, he admits, not paying full attention to his driving. He pulled out in front of another car dangerously on a roundabout and there was very nearly a crash. “It was totally my fault and I fully expected him to slam his horn and belt out some expletives. But instead, the driver waved me on with a warm, kind smile.” Shocked and disarmed by the driver’s response, David burst into tears a hundred yards or so along the road. “The stress of being…
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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, September 2024